Girl, Reinvented
by Tigerl1ly
Summary: She ran away on her eighteenth birthday to find herself, and the boy with ice in his veins thought that she had to be the bravest, craziest, and prettiest girl he'd ever seen. Not that he'd ever tell Titania.
1. Heartfilia Girl

**Hi readers who may/may not exist. I haven't written any fanfiction in a REALLY long time (like since I was 14, which is why, a few years and creative writing classes later, this is a new account -.-) but I had to write this, because it would not get out of my head. **

**Warning: this is a multi-chapter fic, and it might take a while to get to interactions with a lot of the characters we see every episode on the actual show, so sorry about that. And my muse can be vindictive, so updates may be sporadic ~apologies~**

**Rated T for now, and since don't tend (fail, really, when I try) to write stories deserving of an M rating, it is likely to remain that way. **

**I like reviews! Please? 0.0 **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I wish I did. **

**Hope you like! **

When she was a little girl, her mother would tell her stories in the dark as they stared at the stars, and one day the little girl in the grass-stained dress asked why they burned so brightly in the sky. Her mother smiled and said:

_ Our home was once a dark place, child. There was no safety in the dark, and humans would hide behind their walls and fireplaces and tell stories of the monsters that roamed the night. Too many fearful nights were passed in this dark world, and the monsters had begun to snatch at those who left the safety of the light. _

_ One night, the daughter of the Wizard King of the Iryian - for Fiore was less than an idea, then - was snatched from her bed, and for many days, her father sent his men to the forests and wild places to find her - but one cannot in the light find a monster that lives in shadows. The king cried for many months, and it is said that it had seemed his tears would never cease. _

_ But a spark of the king's magic fell with every tear, and each was a star was born of his sadness to light up the night, so no other father would suffer as he had. _

She smoothed back her daughter's pale hair from her wide brown eyes, and then reached into her own boot. To her fascinated daughter she passed a small silver key, and curled tiny fingers around the stem.

_ The magic grew and grew, until an entire world was born, Lucy. The magic of the Celestial Realm is now stronger than any one person, but sometimes - just sometimes - a celestial wizard can find a key that opens a door to it. _

She held her daughter's clenched hand up to the stars and called into the night,

_ Open, Gate of the Little Dog! _Nikora!

Her daughter gasped when she saw a lattice of script flash into existence around the key, and a white spirit plop onto her lap. The two stared at each other for a moment before Lucy seized her first spirit in a hug and shouted,

_ Plu!_

The spirit tilted its head for a moment at the grinning little girl, before declaring,

_ Plu! _

Her mother smiled, picked the little girl and spirit up together, and said dryly, _I think he likes you._

_000_

"I think he likes you." The voice surprised her out of her daydream, and Lucy nearly fell out of her seat.

"What?" she asked, blinking at the speaker, a girl in a pink dress and perfectly coiled braids. The girl leaned in and whispered conspiratorially,

"The older Junelle brother, of course!" she sighed. "He's so handsome, and rich, too!" She giggled and fanned her face. "He can't take his eyes off of you!"

Lucy took a deep breath, and tried not to grind her teeth in a way that her father would find 'unladylike'.

"That's nice, Thea," she said politely, nodding to the sharp-faced boy from across the room, "You should talk to him."

"Me," Thea gasped, shocked, "He's the heir to the Junelle Corporation! I'm just - I could never!"

"And neither could I," Lucy muttered, turning to walk away, "Although probably not for the same reasons as you."

She left a confused Thea by the dance floor, and made her way through the crowd of people to the empty balcony, only to be intercepted by the one person she _hadn't _expected to talk to.

"My daughter, Lucy Heartfilia," He announced, catching her waist with one broad hand, and holding up his wineglass in a toast. The chatter of the party gradually fell to whispers as many well-dressed people turned to look at them. Lucy felt a flush climbing the back of her neck at the pressure of so many eyes on her dress, her hair - but never _her._

"Today we celebrate her eighteenth birthday. She's a grown woman, now," Jude Heartfilia said grandly, flashing a professional smile around the room, "She looks like my Layla, rest her soul. Spirited, and a wizard, too." The last was said with a tinge of sourness, and Lucy had to hold back another unladylike grimace. "But my dear friends and associates, I am pleased this night to announce my daughter's engagement to Duke Janelle, heir to the Janelle Corporation..."

Lucy's ears seemed to stop working, and for a moment, her lungs did as well. _Engagement?_ In a daze she watched the dark-haired boy with sharp cheekbones lift her limp hand to his lips and smile a predatory smile. His eyes dragged like a hand up her expensive, suddenly too-tight dress to her face, and he whispered something that she couldn't hear.

_ Engagement?_

She had a sudden flash of another fifty years with this cold-looking boy in an echoing, cold manor in a thousand too-tight dresses and no freedom, no freedom for the spirited wizard girl who only wanted to be _loved_, and didn't they understand that money never fucking _came into it_?

She ripped her hand away and slipped as quickly as she could through the falsely bright crowd of oily congratulations to somewhere - _anywhere, please_ - dark and quiet where she could _breathe_. Only to breathe.

She found herself in a dark hallway, and sat shakily down beside a window, pressing her face to the cold glass as tears made silver from her wide eyes. She fumbled for the pouch between her ornate petticoats, and clenched the small silver key in her palm.

"Open, Gate of the Little Dog!" she croaked, and like when she was a little girl, a whirl of gold flashed around the key, and her only real friend dropped into her lap. She cupped her hands, and Plu clambered up her arm to her shoulder to pat her face.

"He wants to sell me off, Plu," She whispered to the spirit, "He tries to hide it, but I know Heartfilia Konzern is having financial problems. A marriage to the heir of the Junelle Corporation would get rid of all of my father's money problems."

"Yes, it would."

Lucy whipped around, still holding Plu, to see her father standing with his arms crossed a few feet away. His face was shadowed in the darkness of the hallway, but Lucy could still see the pent-up anger in the set of his shoulders under his tailored suit.

"I have given you everything," He growled, taking a step forward. Discreetly, Lucy edged Plu off of her shoulder, and with a soft whisper, dismissed him.

"The finest dresses."

Another step.

"The best toys, the most connected friends. "

Lucy slowly rose to her feet and clenched her fists. "I never wanted _any_ of that, father!"

"Then tell me, daughter," Jude growled, stepping up to loom over her, "Tell me what the hell you wanted that I didn't give you!"

"I-I just..."

"You just what!" he roared, seizing one of her arms. She yelped, reaching frantically for her pouch.

"I just wanted you to pay attention to me!" She cried, closing her fingers around one of the keys in the pouch, "It was always been _business _to you since Mom died! Will selling me make you feel better, father?"

Suddenly one side of her face stung, and she lifted a hand to touch the reddening skin. Jude glared at her and sighed, lowering his hand to his side. Closing his eyes, he took a step back and chuckled. "What you make me do, Lucy, is remarkable." His eyes darkened momentarily. "Never mention your mother before me again." She lifted her chin at Jude's appraising look.

"You caused me considerable embarrassment by running out on the Junelle boy, daughter." He held up his hand to forestall her furious response. "I suppose I am in error for surprising you with the news. But my decision stands. You will marry the heir to the Junelle Corporation and save this family's fortunes."

"Your fortunes you mean," Lucy muttered under her breath. Jude pretended not to hear her.

"To reassure the Junelle family that we are determined on this marriage, you'll need to spend the period of your engagement with the family. They leave tomorrow, so I'll instruct your maids to pack your things."

"Tomorrow?" Lucy stammered, aghast, "Father! You can't do this to me, _I don't_ _want this_!"

He lightly touched her bruised cheek, and said very slowly and clearly, "Put some makeup on, fix your dress, return your mother's keys to where you found them - you won't be needing them - and then come back to the party." He smiled, and she raged inside. "This is the beginning of the rest of your life, Lucy." He dropped his hand and began to walk away. "A smile wouldn't be out of place."

In her room, Lucy paced the floor. Plu swung his feet from his seat on her bed.

"I'm not getting married, Plu, I won't!"

"Plu," the little spirit said sadly. She fisted her hands on her hips.

"Well, you don't have to sound so discouraged!"

Plu stopped swinging his legs and looked down. "...Plu,"

She sighed, and rubbed her forehead. "No, I'm sorry. You're right." She walked to the large window that overlooked the grounds. "I can't do this with just you. We aren't strong enough. We haven't been in the real world enough." She laid her hand against the window's glass, and looked out at the faraway stars. "Unless..."

The keys seemed to weigh down the hidden pocket of her dress. Slowly, Lucy pulled out the two keys. They clinked quietly in her palm as she closed her hand and pressed her fist against the front of her bodice.

"They were Mom's, Plu," she murmured, "If I make contracts with them, it'll be like she never existed."

Plu hopped down from the bed, and ran to hug her ankle. Looking up, he said firmly, "Plu!"

Lucy took a deep breath and dropped one of the two keys on the coverlet. She kissed Plu's head, and then softly dismissed him.

Alone, she held the remaining key up and said clearly,

"Open, Gate of the Great Crab! Cancer!" As she spoke, a twisting circle of script burst into reality, larger and brighter than she'd ever seen before. A fashionably dressed man with tan skin, dark red-brown hair, and bright green glasses stepped out of the fading ring and eyed her.

"Oh yeah. What are _you_ wearing?" Lucy blinked.

"Um, excuse me?"

"You're Layla's girl, aren't ya? Look like her, you do." He paced a circle around her, and suddenly twin scissors appeared in his hands. "Can't say much for your style, girl. Too boring and stuffy." One had suddenly shot out and slashed at the bottom of her skirt. Suddenly it was layered and much - much - shorter.

"Hey! Hands, uh, scissors off, you perv!" Lucy shouted, sneaking a look at her new outfit in the mirror.

"You don't have the right parts to be my type, sweetheart," he shot back, raising his eyebrows. "Your mom was a spitfire too." His green glasses flashed with the starlight coming through the window. "You've taken a long time to call me, kid. Been what, eight years since..."

"Well, I'm calling you now! Look," Lucy said as she smoothed her new skirt, glad he couldn't see her bright red face in the dark, "I need your help."

He tilted his head, and his scissors clicked shut.

"I'm listening."

000

"Are you _sure_ this is the only way we could do this?" Lucy asked nervously, shooting a glance at the open window. Cancer stopped snipping the drapes, and looked at her.

"Sorry, stupid question," she muttered, "Why _wouldn't _I want to climb out of a fifth-story window and down a bunch of tied-together sheets and curtains?"

"You asked me for a way to get out without setting off an alarm, and this is all I got, honey."

"Okay." Lucy dropped to her knees next to where he sat working. "How can I help? Wait, what did I say wrong?" she asked when she saw him stiffen.

"You clearly didn't grow up around celestial wizards." He said, hesitantly passing her a strip of what used to be a bedsheet, "Or you'd know how rare it is for a master to offer to help a spirit."

Lucy started, and said hotly, "But I don't want to just be your master, Cancer. If you're helping me run away, I'd like to be your friend, too."

His white teeth flashed in a smile as he helped her finish the knot between the bedsheet and the drapes. "I'd like that, Mistress. And I think that later we'd better put together a decent wardrobe if you're going to be a runaway. You can't sprint in a party dress."

Lucy grinned and tied the makeshift ladder to the iron decorations on the window. "Awesome!"

When finally everything was stored in a single backpack - truth be told, it hadn't been much, since everything other than her mother's keys, a few pictures, and her favorite notebook was nothing but the product of her father's bribery - Lucy leaned anxiously out of her window, and clenched the suddenly flimsy-seeming rope with white-knuckled hands.

The wind blew chills through her cropped t-shirt and short skirt, jingling the keys at her hip, and she paled when she saw the ground seem to waver far below.

"Don't look down," Cancer suggested helpfully from the bed.

"Will you stop it! Trying to focus, here!" she snapped, tentatively poking one foot outside the window. Cancer sighed dramatically, and walked over to her. Lucy eyed him suspiciously.

"Do you have a good hold, Mistress mine?" he asked sweetly, leaning on the windowsill.

"Yes, why?"

In answer, he pushed her the rest of the way out and shut the window.

"Cancer!" she hissed furiously. In answer, he grinned and waved. She almost screamed in frustration. "Freaking...annoying...crab!" she muttered as she slowly made her way hand-over-hand to the ground. Every once in a while, the wind seemed to try to shake her off the rope, and she was crying by the time she reached the bottom, but she made it.

She collapsed on the grass and attempted to hug the ground. "I will never take you for granted again," she promised.

Pushing herself to her feet, she once again summoned Cancer. "What the hell?" she demanded when he appeared, "You could have killed me!"

He examined his nails, saying, "And we could have stayed in that bedroom until morning, when your chance for escape had completely disappeared." He narrowed his eyes. "I would dismiss me, Mistress. You know the grounds better than I do, and one person can get much further without being seen than two people."

Lucy glared pointedly at him, clearly telling him that this was _in no way_ over, and then closed his gate.

She made her way across the grounds she used to play on as a child, maybe for the last time. She circled around the servant's village, and stopped for a moment on the top of a hill almost at the edge of the Heartfilia property. She lifted the second key to the stars, and said, "Goodbye, Mom."


	2. Bloody Spirit

**Hi guys! Note that this is probably the last update that will come this quickly, mostly because I'm stuck in bed with a cold right now. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing at all. **

**Thanks to Kamel2711XD, Kyto Touche, and EllieBloodstain for reviewing, you guys are awesome! (Kyto Touche, I'm looking over Cancer again to make him more in-character in the future, thank you for pointing that out! :) )**

**Hope you like!**

His arm hurt like a bitch, and he had no one to blame but himself. His torn shoes scuffed across the bright tile as he made his way to the guild's bar. The old, flamboyantly dressed man behind it stared questioningly at him as he eased himself down on a stool.

"A beer would be great now, Bob."

Bob raised an eyebrow. "I bet. What happened to you..." his face creased, "I'm sorry, you look familiar, but I don't recall your name."

"Leo," he said, taking a long pull from the bottle Bob placed on the counter, "It's Leo."

"You're the lion spirit, then."

Leo grinned, and flicked a strand of his own spiky orange hair. "The mane didn't give it away?" He turned, resting one arm across the bar, and surveyed the room. A few fashionably dressed wizards stood with glasses in their hands, chatting. In his torn suit and bloody shirt, Leo felt woefully out of place.

"It's lovely, dear." Bob acknowledged with a smile. "Did she tell you to wait here?"

Leo tried to catch the eye of a pretty wizard girl with long black hair, but dropped his smile when she flicked her eyes over him and then turned derisively away.

"She did. We just came back from a mission in Oshibana." Leo winced and pressed a rag from his ruined shirt to the wound on his arm as it stung. "Kappas were attacking the villages just outside of the city."

Bob made a "hmph"ing sound, and began to take out martini glasses from under the counter. "Sounds dangerous for one person, though I suppose a celestial wizard is never truly alone."

Leo snorted. "There was a _fabulous reward._" he said sarcastically. Bob paused.

"Hmm." Bob passed him a clean towel, and nodded to Leo's bloody arm. "You might want to cover that with something cleaner than a dirty shirt."

"My thanks." Leo nodded, taking the cloth and a second beer. He moved to a table in a darker part of the mansion's reception room. He pressed the towel to his wound, and gulped another mouthful of beer.

The small squeak of the reception room's door as it opened went unnoticed by most of the laughing guild members, as did the young woman who passed through it. Leo thought that she was just about as out of place as he was. Her hair was pulled to the side in a plain ponytail, and her simple white t-shirt and short jean skirt set her apart from the fashionable outfits worn by everyone else in the guild.

Except for him, of course. He idly drained a little more of his beer as she made her way to Bob.

"Excuse me, excuse...sorry, excuse me."

"Can I help you, child?" Bob asked when she arrived at the bar.

"Yes," she said, fumbling in her pocket, "I'm a freelancer, and I was wondering if you could point me to your mission board?"

Bob clicked his tongue, "You look awfully young and pretty to be taking missions without a team. What kind of wizard are you?"

"I'm eighteen," she said, stubbornly lifting her chin, "And does it matter, so long as I finish jobs? Look," she dropped her voice, making Leo have to strain to hear her, "I need the money, or I can't eat. My last job was supposed to be in Oshibana, but someone beat me to it." She ducked her head, "Please, I can handle a lot, but I'll take the small jobs that no one else wants, if you like."

Guilt suddenly caused Leo's stomach to twist in knots. He'd helped on the Oshibana job, even though he had known that all the reward money would go towards buying the latest styles of designer clothing from shops in Crocus. This girl hadn't been able to buy food.

"Bob," he called, holding up his beer, "I might be able to help."

Bob paused for a moment, his eyes on Leo, and then asked, "Is that wise?"

His shoulder fucking hurt. "Yeah, send her over."

The girl rolled her eyes as she walked over. "You know, you don't have to talk about me like I'm not here!" she slowed as she came to his table and noticed the state of his clothes. "What happened to you? Are you all right?"

He shrugged - _ouch, bad idea _- and then replied, "Fine. Now, about that job..."

"You don't _look_ fine," she said crossly, her brown eyes narrowed. She reached out and to his shock, moved his hand from the wound on his shoulder. She hissed through her teeth.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his eyes wide under his glasses.

"Helping you - ugh, I hate blood." Her face paled and she looked slightly nauseous. She pulled her backpack around her shoulder and onto the table, and pulled out a water bottle and a t-shirt. She ripped the t-shirt in two, and then soaked one of the shreds in water. "Um," her face reddened, "Could you take off your shirt?"

He grinned widely and said, "Buy me dinner first." Her face went crimson.

"That's not what I meant!"

"Yeah, I know." He stripped off the bloodied mess and turned his wounded shoulder to the strange girl. Carefully, she sponged away the blood, and began to clean the dirt away from the slash.

"You have a name?" he asked as he watched her tuck a wayward blond strand behind her ear.

"No."

He blinked. "Uh, what?" She looked up and smiled, still pale from the blood.

"It's nothing personal." she assured him, "I don't give out my name to random strangers - and you're covered in blood."

He thought about it, and stopped his shrug before it pulled on his wound again. "Makes sense."

"Why hasn't your master patched this up and sent you home to recover?"

He tensed, and pushed back from the table as she reached for her makeshift bandage. "What?" he demanded, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, you're a celestial spirit." she said hesitantly, her hand hovering over the makeshift bandage, "I can see the stars in your eyes. Shouldn't whoever holds your key have taken care of you by now?"

Leo couldn't decide if she was serious – _stars in his eyes? - _and he stared at her until her face again turned to bright red. "Forget it," she muttered, finishing his bandage with a quick jerk of a knot. "A few days in the Celestial Realm should have you all fixed up anyway."

He caught her hand as she moved to leave. "Hey, Girl-With-No-Name," he said sardonically as he lifted it to his lips, "Thanks."

She laughed, and pulled away. "Freaking Blue Pegasus Guild," she muttered under her breath. "You're all a bunch of pervs."

Leo dug in his pocket for a scrap of paper, and scribbled an address on the back with a pencil stub. When he finished, he passed it to the girl, saying "I heard there was some trouble with bandits along the road to Hargeon. Talk to people around that area, and they could probably help you find some work."

She took the paper with a smile that lit up the room. "Thank you...um..."

"LEO!" the entire guild hall turned to see a tall, fashionably dressed blonde woman in tall heels stalk across the tile. She came to a halt before the in a swirl of expensive perfume and velvet. Leo stood, edging slightly in front of the now-nervous blonde girl. "I go clean up for five minutes, I come back to see you flirting with little Orphan Annie! Can you do _anything_ right?" she demanded as she took in the girl's worn-out clothes.

Deciding not to mention that it had been almost two hours since they'd come back to the guild, Leo replied, "Hello, Karen. She was helping me clean up."

Karen stepped up to put her face directly in front of his. "I give you an order, you follow it. That's how this contract works, Leo."

He met her gaze, "I'm telling you, I can't stay here for much longer."

Karen's pretty face twisted, and in a moment her hand had whipped across his face. Suddenly there was a flash of gold from behind him, and he turned to see the pretty blonde twirling a key between her fingers, a small smile on her face. Beside her sulked a blue mermaid.

"Aquarius." Leo blurted in shock, "I didn't know someone had picked up your key."

The mermaid sighed dramatically and complained, "The brat calls me, and we have a contract." she looked down her nose at her fuming mistress, "You know that she doesn't even have a boyfriend?"

"Hey!"

"This is all very amusing," Karen growled at the incensed blonde, "But _my _discipline of _my_ spirits has nothing to do with you."

"He needs to heal, and your keeping him here and hurting him _more_ isn't helping!" the stranger gritted her teeth and demanded "Don't you care about your celestial spirits at all?"

Leo's jaw dropped as the strange wizard girl stood up to Karen.

"They're tools, what do I care?"

"They have feelings!"

"They aren't even people!"

"ENOUGH!" Both wizards and spirits turned to see Bob with his arms crossed. The guild leader walked out from behind the bar and gently took the strange girl by the shoulder. "I think," he said quietly, "that you'd best be on your way, my dear."

Karen chuckled, and Bob whipped around to glare at her. "And you best send that spirit back, Miss Lilica."

"Bob!" Karen cried, aghast.

"You shouldn't abuse your spirits like you do and you know it, Karen." Bob rebuked her, still leading the blonde girl to the door.

Karen leveled her gaze at the other celestial wizard. "I'm going to get you for this, bitch," she promised.

The girl just glared back until Karen ducked her head furiously. She angrily jabbed a golden key at Leo, muttering a dismissal.

The last thing he saw before the world dissolved into currents of silver and gold were large brown eyes behind a closing door.


	3. A Father's Tears

**Um, wow. This was...unexpected, to say the least. I had not been planning to take this tack at all, but now I have a better idea of how to put plot points together. **

**I also realized that these chapters are getting progressively shorter. My apologies, and I will try my best to remedy that in the future. **

**Many thanks to Kamel2711XD, bf142128, and Thorn the Laughing Willow for reviewing the last chapter - you guys are great!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Haven't we been over this?**

**LAST NOTE, Gray will be in the next chapter. At last.**

**Hope you like it!**

Jude Heartfilia had a reputation for doing whatever it took to claw his way to the top, whether in business or personal affairs. He'd done his share of shady deals for personal gain and looking back, there were very few that he regretted.

But as he sat sweating in the dark conference room facing a man who was perhaps even more ruthless and determined than himself, he thought that he might come to regret ever starting business with Osamu Junelle.

White teeth flashed in the darkness.

"Surely you aren't nervous, my friend?"

Jude returned a tight smile, and replied coolly, "I weren't aware that we were friends, Junelle. You are attempting to buy my company out from under me, after all." He tilted his head towards the back of the room as the door creaked open. "Such a move is considered hostile in many circles."

Osamu nodded, his eyes behind Jude and tracking whomever had entered the room. "You forget, my friend," he mused absently, "That in our line of work, friendship is an abstract concept."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jude saw Junelle's dark-haired, sharp-faced son come up with a bottle and two wineglasses.

"Although I must say Jude, if you had managed to control your daughter, this whole scenario would be a great deal less...hostile."

Jude watched the boy set the bottle and glasses on the table and execute a short bow to his father. Osamu inclined his head to his son before jerking his chin in a dismissal. The boy left.

"Your son doesn't seem all that upset about his fiancée disappearing." Jude commented when the door had once again clicked shut. Osamu shrugged.

"He is of his own mind of such things. Which brings us to the crux of our problem... _friend._"

Jude swallowed. "Is that so?"

Osamu leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "To be entirely honest, Heartfilia, I could give a damn about taking over your company."

Jude blinked, and tried frantically to keep an impassive face. "Then what is it that you want from me?"

Osamu chuckled, and said softly, "What I've always wanted, Heartfilia. Power."

"I've worked hard to gain and keep the power my company's given me," Jude shot back, incensed, "What makes you think I'd give that up so easily?" He felt sweat roll down the back of his neck as Osamu abruptly lost his smile.

"Weren't you listening before? I don't _want_ your company, Heartfilia." He bared his teeth. "I want your daughter."

Jude reeled back and gripped the edge of the table. "So, all of this - all of this planning, all of these threats of a takeover..." he stopped as he watched as Osamu reached for the bottle and poured two glasses of wine. "It was all to get to _Lucy_?"

Osamu nudged one glass to Jude, and curled his fingers around the stem of the remaining glass. "Yes," he acknowledged. He sipped the dark red liquid with apparent enjoyment.

"What could you possibly want with my daughter so much that you'd go to all this trouble?" Jude demanded, ignoring his own glass.

One of Osamu's eyelids twitched, and he set his wine down with a click on the dark wood of the table. "For the last time, you shortsighted man," he murmured, his eyes dark, "Power. It was all for _power_." One side of his mouth twitched up. "And you were so blind to your daughter that you didn't even realize how special she truly is."

"Lucy's just a girl," Jude interjected, fearing for the first time what would befall his daughter under Osamu's hand, "Just a little girl. She's nothing."

Osamu grinned, and again his teeth gleamed in the shadowed room. "That's where you are wrong, my friend." He stood, trailing the fingers of one hand along the polished lacquer of the table. He stopped a few feet from Jude and tilted his head. "Do you know the legend of how the Celestial Realm was first born?"

Jude nodded, tensing his legs as Osamu leaned against the table. "Layla used to tell it to Lucy when she was a little girl."

"Then you know that it was the sorrow of a human wizard that made the first of the celestial spirits?"

Jude chuckled, but stopped when he saw Osamu's intent eyes. "You're not...serious?" he questioned, thinking that surely the man had to be mad.

"Perfectly serious." Osamu reached back for his wine and took a draught, his eyes never leaving Jude's. "Spirits are creatures of soul, dear Heartfilia." He lifted his glass in a salute, "Which brings us to the subject of your daughter."

"What the hell does Lucy have to do with any of this?"

"Little Lucy genuinely cares for her spirits - loves them, even." He paused, and his eyes widened, "Do you know how rare that is, nowadays? Such a connection of emotion - of soul, one could say - well, it changes things. Opens doors that may have never opened otherwise."

"You're completely insane." Jude decided, moving to stand. Osamu's hand slammed on his shoulder, forcing him back to his seat.

"You will bring your daughter to me."

"Like hell I will. I may not have been the best father over the years, but I will hardly hand my only daughter over to the likes of you."

Osamu narrowed his eyes, and Jude could have sworn that he saw a flash of something _other_ in the darkness of his irises. "You," he repeated slowly, "Will bring your daughter to me, or I will destroy you, little man - your home, your company, and your reputation, _everything_ that you are will be..._mine_." His grip on Jude's shoulder grew until Jude heard something snap. A roar rose in his ears, and with shock, he realized that his arm was hanging limply by his side.

He gritted his teeth and tried to hold his pain at bay. "I don't know where she is, and I wouldn't give her to you anyway."

Osamu nodded in understanding. "I see. Your fatherly instinct is kicking in, even if it is too late." He released his grip on Jude's shoulder. "But I think you'll come to see things my way. Takeshi?"

Jude turned to see Osamu's sharp-faced son standing in the shadows by the door.

"Yes, father?"

"See to it that our guest doesn't remember anything of this visit - and that he has decided to bring his poor, confused daughter back home." Osamu smiled, and clapped his son on the shoulder. "To us."

Jude stood up, clutching his wounded shoulder, and shouted, "You're mad, Junelle! Mad! When word gets out about this..."

"But it won't," Takeshi said calmly, stepping around his father. His eyes flared from a dark brown to a molten gold, "You should sit down, sir."

"Like hell I will," Jude retorted hotly. He went to walk out the door, but suddenly all of the strength went out of his legs, and he found himself back in his chair.

Takeshi smiled, and Jude looked over the dark boy's shoulder to see Osamu closing the door as he left. The man gave Jude one last gleaming smile through the thinning crack in the door.

"You know, Master Heartfilia," Takeshi said conversationally as he knelt to be at Jude's eye level, "You really should have listened to your wife when she warned your daughter about the monsters in the dark."

"Fuck you."

Takeshi laughed, and suddenly Jude found himself drowning in gold.

"If you'd known the number of times I'd heard that one..."

The world went black.


	4. Wherein Cana Wins

**Hi guys! I know it's been a long time, but here's the next chapter!**

**Kamel2711XD , bf142128, and Kyto Touche, you guys are awesome for reviewing, thank you!**

**Disclaimer: As per usual, I play with borrowed toys. I own nothing.**

**Hope you like!**

The guild hall was on fire again. Gray spat out a mouthful of blood onto the floor before rolling to his feet. He glared across the room.

"Now look what you did! Do you know how long it took to clean up the _last_ time you almost burnt the hall down?"

His opponent balled his fists and shouted, "Says the guy who just froze the floor!"

"I was aiming at you!" Gray shot back as he snuck a glance at the floor. Shit, Mirajane was going to cry. He hated it when she did that.

He heard chuckles, and turned to see his fellow guildmates relaxing on the few tables that weren't overturned or broken. He saw a few people exchange bets. When he caught the eye of one of them, she grinned unapologetically and lifted a gigantic mug of beer in a toast. He glared.

"Your aim sucks!" The pink-haired fire mage grinned widely and rolled his shoulders. Fire exploded around his arms, and he shouted, "Catch this!"

Snapping his attention back to the fight, Gray snarled and slammed his palms together defensively. A wall of ice solidified a foot in front of him, catching the fireball. With a wild grin of his own, he threw his hands outwards, forcing the wall towards the fire wizard.

With an indignant shout, the wizard flew through the air, only to slam backwards into the scorched wall. Gray raised an eyebrow as the pink-hair mage jumped to his feet. "You really want to get frozen today, don't you?" he mocked.

There were a few cheers from the peanut gallery.

The other mage bared his teeth and retorted, "Actually, now I'm all fired up, ice-breath!" He lifted his palms around his mouth and suddenly a wave of fire crashed towards Gray.

"Shit!" Gray dived to the side, and grabbed for the floor, sending out another creeping net of ice over its surface. Natsu's gloating laughter cut off with a yelp as he slipped. Gray smiled fiercely.

Now, if he could just get a clear shot...

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"

Dead silence. Gray paled and jumped to his feet, forcing a wide smile on his face. From behind him, he could hear Natsu do the same. Gray winced when he heard him slip on the ice and crash back down to the floor.

He swore he saw worlds drown in the redhead's eyes. He pulled the smile wider, hurting his mouth. "Hi, Erza."

Erza planted her hands on her armored hips with a clank, and narrowed her brown eyes dangerously. "Were you two fighting?"

Gray surreptitiously yanked Natsu up from the floor. "Us, no!" he denied, still smiling.

Natsu shook his head and threw one arm dramatically over Gray's shoulder. "We're best friends!" he affirmed with a grin that must have hurt his face.

Erza looked at them in disbelief. "What happened to the guild hall?" she challenged. There was an explosion of stifled peals of laughter from the other guild members, which cut off abruptly after a pointed glare from the armored mage.

"We were redecorating!" Natsu offered. Gray tried to prevent his eye from twitching at the excuse. He discreetly kicked the fire mage.

"We thought the place needed some change!" Gray lied through his teeth.

He felt sweat roll down the back of his neck as Erza surveyed the scorched and dripping walls, the slippery floor, and the battleground of broken tables and chairs. Finally, her eyes came back to rest on them.

"I don't like it." Her words dropped like a hammer. She crossed her arms and declared, "You will clean it together, and then I want you on missions." She rolled her eyes, and shoved her way past the two apologetic mages to the exit,"This is your third fight in seven hours. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were bored."

"I'd say she's right," the girl who had bet on the fight before offered once Erza had slammed the door, "You two have been unusually touchy lately."

"And how much beer money did you win off of us?" Grey questioned, kicking a broken chair.

The girl grinned and drained her tankard. "Just saying," she said between gulps, "You guys have been fighting over some stupid shit lately."

There was a general murmur of agreement from the rest of the grinning guild members.

"Have not!"

Cana snorted and tossed her empty tankard over her shoulder. "You two were just fighting over what shade of blue Happy is."

"Can it, Cana," Natsu grumbled. Suddenly he perked up. "Hey, that sorta rhymed!"

Someone groaned.

"Nice, sir!" A blue cat with small white wings lit on the fire mage's shoulder. "Wow, you have a lot of work to do!" he said, surveying the mess.

Gray eyed the cat. "I still think he's sapphire."

Happy clung to Natsu's shoulder as smoke began to come out of the fire mage's ears. "He's sky blue!"

Cana sighed and hopped down from her table as the rest of the guild settled in for another fight. She meandered over to the mission board, closed her eyes, and yanked two sheets at random free of their pins. She folded them into paper gliders.

"Hey, Macao, catch!"

The black-haired mage snatched one of the gliders from the air and snorted after he unfolded it. "I think this one's for Natsu."

"I don't know," A burly mage with pale hair said worriedly as he peered over Macao's shoulder, "It seems like a job for a man." He glanced at the fuming Natsu, adding "No offense."

"YOU CAN'T JUST SAY 'NO OFFENSE' AND EXPECT PEOPLE NOT TO GET MAD WHEN YOU PISS THEM OFF, ELFMAN!" Natsu shouted. Gray eyed him.

"Natsu, you're on fire." he said, watching the flames eat at the corner of Natsu's vest.

"I DON'T CARE!" Natsu stormed over to the sheepish Elfman, and snatched the paper out of his hands. "What..." his face fell, "I'm looking for some dusty old spells?"

Macao rolled his eyes and clapped Natsu on the back. "Cheer up. They're demonic spells. Odds are whoever hid them left a whole bunch of nasty monsters and traps for you."

Happy's ears went up, "That sounds like our kind of mission, sir!"

Natsu grinned and twisted his hand, conjuring up a fireball. "They're not even going to see me coming!" he gloated.

"I doubt that," Gray muttered.

Natsu put out the flame and called loudly, "Hey, Cana! What mission did Gray get?"

Cana hmphed and tossed the glider at a pale-haired young woman who was coming down the stairs from the second floor.

"Oh!" the girl caught the glider, but her shocked attention was on the charred hall. "What happened?!"

"Gray and Natsu had an argument, Mira," Cana said nonchalantly, waving one hand. "Don't worry, Erza already handed them their asses. Open the glider."

"She did not _hand us our asses_," Gray growled. Natsu fumed.

"Well, you are standing there," a mage said as he smoked his pipe, "All terrified,"

"And holding your dislocated asses," Macao agreed. He raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, Gray, where are your clothes?"

"Shit!"

"Not very manly," Elfman finished as Gray ran around the hall, pulling his slightly charred clothing out from where he had unconsciously thrown them.

"Um, do you still want me to read this?" Mirajane ventured, holding up the glider as she reached the end of the stairs. She looked sadly at the iced-over, charred floor, tears welling up in her big blue eyes. "Oh..."

Gray screeched to a halt in front of her, pulling his shirt over his head. "Mira, don't cry!" he begged. He tilted his head, trying to read the words printed on the flyer, "What does it say?"

With difficulty, Mirajane tore her attention from the mess, and then made a small noise of surprise. "Well, it isn't your usual kind of job," she said, handing the paper over.

Gray looked at it in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed.

Natsu craned his neck to see it, "Hey, what is it?"

"I have to track down some runaway society-girl princess," Gray complained, throwing the paper on the ground, "Seriously?"

"Well," Cana said consolingly, a wicked smile on her face, "At least you won't have to get into any actual fights."

Gray glared at her in disgust before storming off to clean the mess they'd made of Fairy Tail's guild hall.

Halfway through roundhouse kicking a smelly, dirty, _pervert_ of a man in the face, Lucy decided that she absolutely _hated_ bandits. The man collapsed on the cobblestones and groaned, clutching his bloody nose.

Lucy whirled around, eyes darting to take in her surroundings. "Aquarius, now!" she screamed, her hand darting for her whip as another bull of a man with a knife barreled at her.

She threw herself to the ground and grabbed for the railing of a nearby stairway as a wave of water exploded over the man. His face froze in disbelief in the second before it slammed him to the street of the village.

Lucy spat out the salty water she had accidentally taken in before leaping to her feet. She jogged over to where Aquarius stood in the middle of the narrow street and swept her gaze around the now-deserted area.

"Nice of you to join me," Aquarius snarked, "Now that I've cleaned up the mess for you."

"Oh shut up!" Lucy shot back, rolling her eyes, "Do we have a count on how many are left?" she asked, loosening her grip on her whip.

Aquarius shrugged.

"What about the civilians?"

Another shrug.

Lucy sighed, and reached for the mermaid's key.

Aquarius blinked and demanded, "Why are you sending me back?"

"I need to get a better idea of what we're dealing with here," Lucy explained, fisting one hand on her hip, "I can't exactly do that when the bandits know where I am."

"I can be subtle!" Aquarius protested indignantly, scowling at the amused blonde beside her.

"Aquarius, you just nailed that guy with a ten-foot wall of water." Lucy pointed out, twirling the key, "Since when do you want to stay, anyways?"

Aquarius sneered elegantly, and turned her nose up, "You'll get yourself killed without me."

Lucy laughed, and slashed the key across the air, closing Aquarius's gate. When the mermaid was gone, she slipped into the dark space between two now-soggy shops, and made her way towards the center of the town through the back alleys. When she reached the town square, she stopped in shock, and hid in the shadows of a nearby building.

Lucy pressed herself to the wall and tried to breathe quietly as she took in the scene. A group of shivering civilians were clustered around the town's dry fountain, and she heard a few children crying, only to be shushed by their terrified parents.

Lucy's mouth went dry when she heard rough voices belonging to out-of-sight men getting louder.

"I told ya boss, there ain't nothin' worth much round here, there ain't!"

"An' I tol' yous, Maro, _everyone _has _somethin''_."

"These people ain't got nothin'!"

Lucy gritted her teeth as she heard the clack of iron-heeled boots on cobblestone. When she peered around the corner of the alley, she saw a red-headed man in a long black coat seize an older man who had his arm around a terrified young boy. The older man tried to keep his grip on the boy, but ended up dangling a foot off the ground with empty hands.

Lucy's grip on the wall tightened until her knuckles stood out white. She could hear the bandit's low growl deepen threateningly.

"Where's the money, old man?"

"We don't have much!" The man protested, gripping the bandit's hands where they clenched his shirt, "Please, move on. You won't make much of a profit here."

The bandit sneered and shook his victim, making his head jerk back painfully. "You gotta have somethin'."

The old man's voice was quiet and tired. "We're shopkeepers and artisans. Anything we own of value is in our homes."

The red-headed bandit chuckled, roughly clapping the old man on the shoulder as he set him on the ground. "Now that wasn't that hard, was it?" he asked jovially, giving him a shove towards the man stumbled, and fell to the ground beside the sobbing boy.

The bandit snickered and turned to where the other speaker was presumably standing. "You hear that, Maro?"

"Gotcha, boss!"

Lucy clenched her teeth, and pulled out her second key. "Cancer," she whispered, focusing her summons. A moment later, she heard the scrape of scissors on stone. She turned her head to see Cancer crouched on the ground. She lifted a finger to her lips.

"I don't know how many there are," she breathed, turning her eyes back to the sobbing child at the fountain, "But we don't have much time. Find out for me?"

Cancer's voice was granite-hard as he followed her gaze. "Of course, Miss Lucy."

"I told you not to call..." He was gone, and she sighed. Her hand went to her hip and curled around the handle of her hip as she weighed her options.

She could maybe take out the leader, she decided, if she surprised him. But if anyone came back...

"Five." Cancer whispered over her shoulder. Lucy tilted her head.

"How far?"

"Two on the outskirts, and the other three close enough to hear their boss go down."

Lucy groaned. "Is it too much to ask for one easy case? Just one," she muttered glancing up at the cloudy sky, "Would that be so hard?"

"Are you done?" Cancer asked sarcastically, "Or would you like to whine some more?"

"Fine." She blew out a breath. "Shall we?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cancer's lips peel back in a savage smile.

"Only when you are, Miss Lucy."

A few minutes later, Lucy strolled out of the alley, her whip tapping against her shoulder like a parasol. "Hey, ugly!" she called. The redheaded bandit whipped around in surprise, but began to laugh when he saw her.

"A little girl?" he chuckled. His eyes flicked over her body, and his smile turned to a leer, "I like your clothes, sweetheart. But I think I'd like them better on the ground."

Lucy felt disgust ripple down her spine. "Ew, gross!" She raised her voice. "Cancer! NOW!"

The man blinked in surprise, and managed a startled "Whaaa..." before Cancer leapt from the position he'd taken on top of the fountain during Lucy's approach, and knocked the bandit off balance. Lucy ran over, her whip held loosely in her hand, and cracked it across the man's face once Cancer had moved away.

The bandit sputtered and fell at her feet. When he tried to get to his feet, a knife appearing in his hand, she slashed the whip at his hand. He dropped the weapon with a yelp, and cradled his now-livid hand. Cancer kicked the knife out of the bandit's reach.

Lucy raised her eyebrows. "You're a awful person," she informed the moaning bandit. She lifted her eyes to Cancer's. "Tie him up, please."

"Will do."

She turned around, and then stretched her above her head as she saw three bandits barrel into the courtyard. "We have company." She glanced over to Cancer as he finished a knot. "Mind switching out?"

Fifteen minutes and five groaning and somewhat soaked bandits later, Lucy made her way over to the stunned citizens. She reached one hand out to the man the bandit had questioned, and he looked at her in shock. She smiled.

"Hi," she said, "Do you need some help?"

He took her hand, and heaved himself up. The boy clung to his side "I think you have it covered," he said dryly, as the other citizens began to chatter and move fearfully past the bound bandits. "Thank you." He looked around at the damaged courtyard.

"Sorry for the mess," Lucy said, abashed. She could see Aquarius smirk out of the corner of her eye.

The man laughed in disbelief, "Young lady," he said, touching her shoulder, "If you and your spirits hadn't come by, I'm sure we would have been in a much worse condition." He turned his head towards the milling crowd of people and smiled.

"I'm afraid we can't give you much," he said, looking back at her, "But we can provide you with some food and a little money." He took in her worn appearance and asked seriously, "Do you have a place to sleep?"

Lucy forced a grin and chirped, "Of course!"

He obviously didn't believe her, but he nodded. "I am Ippan, and this is Kodo." he said, nodding his head to the child on his hip.

Lucy gave a real smile, and said "It's nice to meet you."

Ippan waited for a moment before clearing his throat, "Your name?"

Lucy sighed. "I'm just a girl," she said, remembering having said nearly the same words to a bloody spirit in a guild hall. Ippan looked surprised. "I would like to just be on my way, if that's alright with you," she said.

Ippan nodded, his eyes bright with curiosity. "Well," he said as he began to walk over to the rest of the townspeople, "At least stay for dinner with my family."

Her stomach rumbled, and she blushed. Ippan chuckled.

"I think I'd like that," she said wryly. She turned back to give a questioning look over her shoulder at Aquarius.

The mermaid rolled her eyes and disappeared in a quick flash of sunshine and seawater.


End file.
